Tropical or subtropical steppe: warm and semiarid (dry) year-round. Temperatures average above freezing year-round. Annual rainfall totals not more than 100 cm (39"); in some regions, there is a slight but noticeable yearly variance in the limited rainfall. If the summer is slightly wetter, "s" is appended; if the winter is slightly wetter, "w" is appended to the climate classification. Vegetation usually consists of grasses and herbaceous plants, sometimes in patches; forests are rare, and deciduous or evergreen broadleaf trees generally grow sparsely (caatinga) or in patches if they are present.
By Dave Bryant, copyright 2002